If you’ve spent any time on BookTok or scrolling through romance threads, you’ve seen the blue-and-white cover. Mile High by Liz Tomforde isn't just another hockey romance; it's basically the gateway drug for the entire Windy City series. But honestly? It’s a bit of a polarizing beast. Some people call it the best sports romance ever written, while others get 200 pages in and wonder why it’s so damn long.
It’s 600 pages. For a romance novel, that’s a commitment.
Most people come for the "bad boy athlete" trope but stay for the surprisingly heavy conversations about therapy and body dysmorphia. It follows Evan Zanders, a defenseman for the Chicago Raptors who has built his entire brand on being the guy everyone loves to hate. He’s the "villain" of the NHL, the playboy in the penalty box. Then you’ve got Stevie Shay. She’s the new flight attendant on the team’s private jet, and she is thoroughly unimpressed by his ego.
The Mile High Liz Tomforde Experience: Tropes and Truths
Let's get into the bones of it. The book leans hard into the enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity vibes. Since they’re stuck on a plane together for half the season, they can’t exactly avoid each other.
Zanders is a piece of work at first. He’s arrogant, he’s loud, and he treats the plane like his personal playground. But Tomforde does this thing where she peels back the layers slowly. You find out the "playboy" image is actually a marketing tactic pushed by his agent to keep his contract value up. He’s been in therapy for years to deal with his mother abandoning him as a kid. He’s actually a softie who rescues senior dogs.
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Why Stevie Shay Isn't Your Typical FMC
Stevie is the heart of the book. She’s a biracial woman (though some readers have criticized how the book handles the nuances of her race) who struggles with a psychologically manipulative mother.
Her mother has basically spent years projecting white beauty standards onto her, leading to some pretty intense body image issues. It’s not just a "she thinks she’s ugly" plot point; it’s a deep-seated anxiety that affects how she moves through the world.
- The Spice Factor: It’s high. We’re talking a solid 4/5 on the spice scale.
- The Dogs: There is a heavy subplot involving a senior Doberman named Rosie. If you like dogs, you'll cry.
- The Family Dynamics: We meet Ryan Shay (Stevie's twin and a basketball star) and Indy Ivers. This sets up the rest of the series perfectly.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Story
A lot of readers go in expecting a "puck bunny" story where the girl just falls for the star player. That’s not this. In fact, there is very little actual hockey in the book. If you’re looking for play-by-play sports action, you’re going to be disappointed.
This is a character study.
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Some people find the length "repetitive." And yeah, Zanders and Stevie have the same argument about her job security and his reputation a few times too many. But the payoff? It’s the kind of emotional "grovel" that romance readers live for. Zanders literally stops a Stanley Cup parade to win her back. It’s over the top, sure, but in the world of Liz Tomforde, it works.
Is It Actually "Diverse" Representation?
This is a sticky point in the community. Liz Tomforde is a white author writing a biracial Black female lead. Some readers love the representation of Black characters just "existing" without their trauma being centered solely on racism. Others feel like Stevie’s "Blackness" is treated as an afterthought or a "skin-deep" detail.
There’s also the cover controversy. The original illustrated cover shows Stevie as being quite curvy/plus-size, but the text describes her more as "not skinny enough" for her mother’s standards. It’s a nuance that caused a lot of debate on Reddit and TikTok. Is she plus-size? Is she mid-size? Does it matter? To many readers, the disconnect between the art and the prose felt like pandering.
The Windy City Series Order
If you’re diving in, you should probably know where this fits in the timeline:
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- Mile High (Zanders & Stevie)
- The Right Move (Ryan & Indy) - Widely considered the fan favorite.
- Caught Up (Kai & Miller)
- Play Along (Isaiah & Kennedy)
- Rewind It Back (Rio & Hallie)
Key Takeaways for New Readers
If you're about to pick up Mile High Liz Tomforde, keep these things in mind. First, don't let the first 50 pages scare you off. Zanders is an absolute jerk at the start, but his growth is the whole point of the 600-page journey.
Second, pay attention to the side characters. The friendship between Zanders and his teammate Eli Maddison is actually one of the healthiest male friendships I've seen in the genre. They talk about their feelings. They go to therapy. It’s refreshing.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check Content Warnings: The book deals heavily with body dysmorphia and parental abandonment. If those are triggers for you, tread carefully.
- Kindle Unlimited: As of early 2026, the series is still a staple on Kindle Unlimited, so don't buy the individual ebooks if you have a subscription.
- Listen to the Audiobook: Many fans claim the dual narration makes Zanders' "vibe" much more tolerable in the early chapters.
- Don't Skip to Book 2: While many people say The Right Move is better, you'll miss the foundation of the Shay family dynamic if you skip Stevie’s story.
The book isn't perfect, but it’s a massive cultural touchstone in the modern "sports romance" era for a reason. It’s messy, it’s long, and it’s deeply emotional. Just like a real relationship, basically.